Monday, February 05, 2007

While Democrats Prepare, Republicans Dance

Two very interesting reads for you this Monday morning:

Jonathan Singer at MyDD interviews Chuck Schumer, primarily while wearing his DSCC Chair hat. In a nutshell, Schumer feels good about our 12 incumbents, while being notably protective of Mary Landrieu's re-election bid in Louisiana. Meanwhile, he sees, as most of us do, some strong potential pickup opportunities in states like Colorado, Oregon, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Maine, and will clearly put a lot of focus on those states.

The Washington Post covers Senate Republicans dancing around Iraq. Amongst the highlights, the Post notes that New Hampshire Republican John Sununu "took off in a sprint" when approached by reporters. You may also find that Oregon Republican Gordon Smith's disingenuous blather is reaching insufferable levels. But this takes the cake:

[Minnesota Republican Norm] Coleman said he found it "offensive" to suggest that senators' reelection concerns could influence their stand. But he conceded: "Certainly senators like myself and [Maine Republican Susan] Collins and others are in tough states. Anything we do always gets measured against that."

Sorry to offend you, Norm, but I find it offensive that so many Senate Republicans waited until after seeing the results of Election Day 2006 to begin opening their mouths. Only when their individual political hides are on the line in a re-election bid do many of these Senate Republicans push for any kind of oversight. I look forward to their respective constituencies holding them to account for not holding the Bush Administration to account, amongst many other lapses of leadership.